Moulton, Gallagher Introduce Bipartisan Motor Carrier Safety Selection Standard Act
Washington, D.C. – Reps. Seth Moulton (D-Mass.) and Mike Gallagher (R-Wisc.) re-introduced the Motor Carrier Safety Selection Standard Act. This bipartisan bill will boost the safety of American roads and highways by requiring the Department of Transportation to enact a Safety Fitness Determination test for the trucking industry and requiring manufacturing and shipping companies to ensure their trucking partners are appropriately licensed, registered, and insured.
"Every single day, hundreds of thousands of Americans unwittingly put their lives in the hands of motor carriers like major trucking companies simply by driving up an on-ramp and onto the highway. That's because right now there is no way for businesses shipping goods to verify the safety of the companies they pick to ship them," said Congressman Moulton. "Our bill orders the government to set new safety standards and, until those exist, creates a three-check system for motor carriers so that everyone who hires them knows whether they're choosing safe drivers or companies with a reputation for cutting corners and causing accidents."
Each year there are over 100,000 truck crashes resulting in injuries and over 4,000 leading to fatalities. In the U.S., the over three million shippers and 20,000 third-party logistics providers are not required to appropriately vet their trucking partners to ensure they meet the basic safety requirements necessary to keep our roads safe.
"When manufacturers select trucking companies to ship their products, they are left without any standard to ensure those trucks are safe or fit to be on the road. The lack of a data-driven method to help manufacturers pick the best carriers has led to hundreds of thousands of accidents on roads and highways," said Rep. Mike Gallagher. "This bill directs the Department of Transportation to establish a safety rating process for trucking companies, and sets an interim standard to ensure manufacturers work with reliable trucking companies that are fully authorized, licensed, and insured."
Outside Support:
"Without a clear federal standard, the result is a confusing patchwork of standards that threaten the nation’s economy and public safety. Additionally, some shippers and brokers have already begun excluding motor carriers from their networks based on their own assessment of who is ‘safe’ and who is not. This harms small carriers with five trucks or fewer who make up 90% of the market. Shippers and brokers should be able to rely on the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration and their trained safety experts to keep the motoring public safe," said Ben Campbell, C.H. Robinson Chief Legal Officer.
“TIA applauds Congressman Gallagher and Moulton for the introduction of the Motor Carrier Safety Selection Standard Act. The status quo is untenable: 92% of trucking companies are unrated, due to an outdated safety rating system and the number of highway accidents involving commercial motor vehicles increases year over year. Our members and the public need a reliable rating system to eliminate confusion in the supply chain and increase highway safety. This legislation achieves those goals," said Chris Burroughs, VP of Government Affairs for TIA.